The cost-of-living crisis has hit particularly hard those on low and average incomes, who are more exposed to this crisis as well as the mounting inflation that has driven up costs. Public and private sector workers' earnings are being eroded. Such households have become especially vulnerable as a consequence of the fluctuating political problems across the world and the unnecessary wars that have brought us to the brink of a global recession driven by the escalating conflict in the Middle East and a related rise in worldwide energy prices. Low and average income households are struggling with spiralling energy costs and the Government's response to this current escalating problem is inadequate. There is a need for the reintroduction of energy credits and a removal of excise duty on home heating oil to help struggling families. Workers also have concerns about the quality of jobs that they are doing. A significant portion of the workforce has characterised the work they are doing as low paid, insecure and with poor working conditions. What could offset much of this would be making collective bargaining a statutory right. Ireland is behind much of Europe by not having this as a statutory right. The Government's response to this anomaly is to introduce an action plan to promote collective bargaining which unions have condemned for lacking concrete legal reforms as well as its measures being primarily aspirational rather than mandatory. The plan is insufficient when compared to the rest of Europe. Collective bargaining strengthens employees' negotiation power and balances the employer-employee power dynamic. The benefit for employees is that they can negotiate for improved compensation and better benefits. Collective bargaining can ensure overall fairer treatment for workers, can offer greater job security and, most importantly, legal agreement protecting working conditions. Additionally, the delay in replacing the national minimum wage with a living wage until 2029 will severely impact the lowest-paid workers who, according to the ICTU, will lose approximately €600 this year alone. Strengthening workers' rights and improving conditions in the workplace is not only good for the worker; it also creates a productive economy. Workers earning the living wage will spend their wages on goods and services-----

Sentiment score: -0.00

-----which stimulates demand, driving further economic activity and thereby creating a cycle of growth which can only be good, not only for the worker but for the country.

Sentiment score: 0.56